Gooner Republic – Gooner News

“Emirates Stadium” (CC BY 2.0) by oddsock

Arsenal are seemingly working their way back into top four contention, albeit quite slowly, and they are not there yet. However, there is certainly promise, and it seems like the team is on the cusp of being a top four challenger in the near future.

But what about being a top four regular, like they were in the past?

This season, Arsenal certainly have a chance, and are right in the mix now, with seemingly two places up for grabs behind Manchester City and Liverpool. The latest betting odds from Space Casino have Arsenal at 3.5 to finish in the top four. This puts them behind Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham in the betting, but certainly in the mix.

Behind these teams in the betting, the likes of West Ham and Wolves are considered outsiders, and with so many teams chasing down these final two positions, Arsenal are in a big battle, rather than just chasing one team.

The top four this season would be seen as an overachievement, with a top six finish being the aim for now. However, that is a step towards the top four in the future, but what is needed to make that step?

Increasing the Quality of Depth

One of the biggest issues we have seen with Arsenal is that they lack depth. Go back to their FA Cup loss to Nottingham Forest, when they played a handful of squad players and were lackluster, as mentioned by the BBC in their match report.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST KNOCK ARSENAL OUT OF THE FA CUP ? pic.twitter.com/EGiyiacRD4

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 9, 2022

It is games like that one, where Arsenal rely on their squad players, that you can see the holes that are currently there. These are the players that need to be improved on, or added to, and by adding to them, they can also look to improve the starting eleven too.

Whether they go for a strategy to try and take some risks, in the hope that a player or two turn out to be first teamers from the depth that they bring in, or play it safe and bring in experienced players, remains to be seen. This is also something that will take time, Arsenal don’t have the spending power of some clubs, so can’t simply fix their problems in one transfer window.

With quality depth added to the team, Arsenal should be able to reach the top four, they are close enough to think that could be the difference. Stopping there is not going to be easy, but once you are in, and have the added prize money from playing in the Champions League, things do become easier from a financial perspective.

This may then allow Arsenal to make a proper transfer splash. Chelsea signed big in the summer, bringing in Romelu Lukaku, as covered by The Guardian; Manchester United also added many pieces, and they both did this thanks to Champions League money.

Get up there, thanks to adding strong depth pieces, and then like those two mentioned, Arsenal may be able to sign players of a standard that is good enough to keep them there.

Emmanuel Adebayor made sure that he would go down in Arsenal history as a player that was disliked by everyone, but it seems he is keen on continuing to stoke the flames of the fire that has since been burnt out.

Indeed, many Gooners will think their former striker is irrelevant now and is just a blotch on their past, although those who look for the best betting online sites available might want to consider that he does still play his football for Turkish giants Istanbul Basaksehir, therefore perhaps they may want to think of another team to bet on.

However, the former Arsenal man appears to be continuing with his hate for the club by participating in interviews that certainly does not help things currently being experienced at the club.

Having scored 62 goals and providing 24 assists in 144 appearances for the club, it seems he still holds a grudge over Arsene Wenger after the legendary boss told him he had no future at the Emirates Stadium.

Of course, Arsenal sold him in 2009 when he signed for Manchester City and decided to go on a run to the other end of the pitch and celebrate in front of the Gooners who had travelled that afternoon after netting a winner in the last minute; an action that would later cost him £25,000.

Speaking about the boss, he stated that Jose Mourinho was the best he had whereas Wenger was “fake” and the reason he has the hate for Arsenal.

“Mourinho is the one of the managers I loved and will always love,” Adebayor said to Turkish television programme Beyond The Game.

“He is one of the [most] honest managers I have met in my career, which is crazy because most of the managers are all kind of fake.

“As an example, I had a meeting with Arsene Wenger in his office when he told me I had to leave because he didn’t see my future anymore in Arsenal.

“So I didn’t have any other choice than joining Man City, who I was very happy to join.

“And the next day when I joined Manchester City I saw him doing a press conference in London saying that I wanted to leave because the money was big and everything and since that day that is where the hate for Arsenal came from.”

Now, whilst that was over 10 years ago, it seems he could not keep from sticking his oar in amid the ongoing situation that surrounds Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mikel Arteta after the Gabon international was banished from the squad due to a lack of discipline.

Adebayor believes the former Borussia Dortmund striker’s time at the Emirates is up, perhaps suggesting that bettors who have a betting bonus should look to place it on the Gabon international to arrive at a different club, whilst also leaving a scathing attack on the Gunners in the process.

“I know he’s going through a lot, because that’s Arsenal for you,” he said to Sky Sports News.

“They never knew how to forgive, so I know he went through a lot. He’s a fantastic player, I wish him all the best – I’ve sent him a message already.

“We just want him to bounce back. Whether we like it or not, he’s an African brother and we want him to keep representing Africa the way he was doing before.

“I don’t think so (if Aubameyang can succeed at Arsenal), this is what I know because it happened to me also.

“Not in the same way but in Arsenal, a way back I would be surprised [to see]. But he’s a great player so let’s see how it ends up.”

One thing you would have to agree on with Adebayor is that Aubameyang’s career at Arsenal does appear to have come to an end, although it would be hard to back the idea that they never forgive, especially when you look at everything that Granit Xhaka has gone through whilst wearing the club’s colours.

Arsenal are considering purchasing both Aaron Ramsdale and Sander Berge from recently relegated side Sheffield United this summer according to the Sheffield Star, with the Gunners reigniting their pursuit of the Norwegian midfielder.

23-year-old Ramsdale has been subject of interest from Mikel Arteta’s side for most of the summer, already having two bids knocked back for the keeper as they consider making a third offer.

Their interest in the shot-stopper has ramped up over the past couple of weeks, with Ramsdale’s European Championships campaign with England only finishing in mid-July after the Three Lions reached the final.

However, they are yet to meet the Blades’ £32m asking price with the 23-year-old still having three years remaining on his current deal at Bramall Lane – and are in no rush to cash in on him this summer.

Slavisa Jokanovic’s side are in a similar situation with Sander Berge whose contract in South Yorkshire doesn’t expire until 2024 either, but is likely to leave the club following their relegation with top-flight teams in England including Everton and Aston Villa and Italian clubs Napoli, Atalanta and Lazio all reported to be keeping an eye on the midfielder’s situation.

Arsenal were another side previously said to be monitoring the Norwegian, but this interest died down after refusing to meet his £35m valuation.

But with the Ramsdale deal hitting an obstacle and the Gunners still on the prowl for a new central midfielder, they believe they can lure the Championship side to the negotiating table with a sizeable lump sum for two of their most valuable assets, as per the Sheffield Star.

However, this potential move is only said to be a ‘plan’ at this stage – and it’s currently unclear whether they will press ahead and execute it between now and August 31st.

Although this could potentially be the least messy way for manager Jokanovic to sort out Ramsdale and Berge’s current situation at Bramall Lane, with intense interest in both failing to cease, the Blades still have every right to take a tough negotiating stance considering they both have long-term contracts at their current club.

Because of this, they could easily demand £65m-£70m for the duo in a potential double deal and after seeing Arsenal cough up £50m for Ben White at the end of last month, this could persuade the Blades to hold out for this sort of money.

However, the White deal could affect the Premier League side’s ability to complete these acquisitions this summer. There isn’t a bottomless pit of money at the Emirates Stadium and this is why they shouldn’t push Arsenal too hard for around £70m if they offer anywhere near that sum of cash.

In the end, the South Yorkshire outfit may decide to continue taking an uncompromising approach to these deals to ensure the duo remain at Bramall Lane and with this, majorly boost their chances of returning to the Premier League.

So this is a win-win situation for Jokanovic who will either have two top-quality players at his disposal or potentially a lot of money to play with in the next window or two.

Leicester City have rejected Arsenal’s latest players-plus-cash offer for midfielder James Maddison, claims a report. Maddison has become Mikel Arteta’s number one attacking target, according to a number of sources.

“Arsenal are pursuing a deal” for the attacking midfielder, according to The Guardian. While football.london and Football Insider suggest Arteta has Maddison at the forefront of his thinking.

Arteta wanted to sign Martin Odegaard once again after his successful loan spell from Real Madrid last season. That deal looks out of reach though and the Gunners are now focused on Maddison.

The Guardian suggest Arsenal will have to make sales before pushing ahead for Maddison, who is understood to be open to a move.

Maddison is understood to be eager to push himself on to the international stage and thinks a move to Arsenal could elevate him.

Leicester, who qualified for the Europa League, are not under pressure to sell. The report though claims it is understood they could demand at least £60m for the 24-year-old, if he chases a move.

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has recently warned Arsenal away from Maddison, who remains under contract until 2024 after renewing his deal last summer.

“In conversations with the club, we don’t have to sell. That’s something that’s been made clear,” said Rodgers. The players want to stay. It’s a really exciting time at the club.

“There’s lots of gossip and speculation around but I’m loving working with the guys here. They love being here, and we certainly have no need to sell.

“So I would suspect we’re looking to keep our best players.”

Arsenal though have been encouraged by Maddison and the Gunners have in fact lodged a cash offer, along with Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

That has been rejected by Leicester, who have “no interest” in the Arsenal duo. The outlet also claim Leicester’s price tag for Maddison is £70m.

Leicester have added Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Ryan Bertrand to their squad. But in recent years they have made one big sale each summer.

Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante, Harry Maguire and Riyad Mahrez have all left the Foxes and Maddison could well follow that trend.

Arsenal are amongst the clubs to have spoken to the agent of Andre Onana in the last few days with the goalkeeper’s potential move to Lyon stalling, according to a report from Calciomercato.It.

Onana has been linked with a move away from Ajax for some time now. It was even claimed at the start of June that a move to Arsenal was imminent.

Obviously, that has not proved to be the case. But it would make sense if he indeed left the Eredivisie side before the window shut.

His contract expires next summer. And a host of clubs are interested. It had appeared that Lyon were set to win the race.

Calciomercato.It claims earlier via real money casino games, the Ligue 1 side and Ajax were closing in on agreeing a fee over the weekend. However, progress over a deal has stalled.

And that is because several clubs, including a number from England, have spoken to Onana’s agent in the last few days. His representative has also spoken to clubs from Italy and Spain.

One of the sides to have apparently made contact is Arsenal. It is claimed that the goalkeeper’s English admirers made their move with his agent recently visiting London.

The report adds however, that Lyon are yet to give up on getting a deal done. Onana’s situation is not ideal for any club looking at a move this summer. He is suspended until November due to a doping violation.

He also has the Africa Cup of Nations ahead in January. So he is set to miss a large portion of the season. Arsenal, of course, still have Bernd Leno on their books. Bet on Arsenal to finish in the top four next season on https://www.leroijohnny.com/fr. Meanwhile, they have been linked with Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale.

But it appears to be a smart move to keep Onana on their radar. It was not that long ago that he seemed to be deemed one of the best goalkeepers plying their trade in Europe.

Getting a move done this season may not pay off much over the coming campaign. But it could prove to be a fantastic piece of business in years to come. So Arsenal are surely right to remain in the mix.

Arsenal have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, with Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers reiterating the club’s firm stance that the England international is not for sale. Rodgers has said that none of his players want to leave the club, who enjoyed a successful campaign last term.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta still wants to sign a midfielder this summer, despite two recent additions in the position.

Thomas Partey arrived from Atletico Madrid in January while Arsenal recently announced the capture of Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht.

Arteta has lost last season’s loanees Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard, who have both returned to Real Madrid, leaving him with a lack of depth in the role.

Leicester’s Maddison has been earmarked as a target but would likely cost a huge fee to prise away from the FA Cup winners. Rodgers has insisted that the 24-year-old is not for sale and suggested that Maddison would like to remain.

The player enjoyed a successful 2020-21 campaign, scoring eight times in 31 Premier League appearances. However, he failed to even make Gareth Southgate’s 31-man provisional squad for Euro 2020.

The Northern Irishman said:

“In conversations with the club, we don’t have to sell.

“That’s something that’s been made clear. The players want to stay.

“It’s a really exciting time at the club.

“There’s lots of gossip and speculation around but I’m loving working with the guys here, they love being here, and we certainly have no need to sell.

“So I would suspect we’re looking to keep our best players.”

Goal reported in June that Maddison was of interest to Arsenal, who are midway through an overhaul of their first-team squad. Arteta and technical director Edu are replacing senior stars with fresh faces following a disappointing campaign.

The club finished eighth in the Premier League and next season will be their first not participating in a European competition for the first time in over a quarter of a century.

Ben White became Arsenal’s first marquee signing of the summer when he arrived in a huge £50million deal from Brighton last week.

White joins Lokonga and Nuno Tavares in moving to the Emirates Stadium. More deals have been targeted, with Arteta widely believed to be interested in an attacking midfielder and a forward.

Some of Arsenal’s most experienced stars have been linked with departures to facilitate a rebuild. Veteran defender David Luiz, 34, left the club when his contract expired at the end of June.

Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin, Granit Xhaka, Willian and Alexandre Lacazette have all been the subject of reports suggesting that they could depart.

The Athletic have reported that Arsenal’s stance on Xhaka could reverse, though, with the midfielder close to agreeing a new contract. Xhaka has been widely linked with a move to Roma, where Jose Mourinho has been appointed as head coach.

Arsenal have been urged to sign the ‘best striker after Erling Haaland’ as former Italy forward Christian Vieri heavily praised Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic in a recent interview.

The forward has attracted interest from some of Europe’s top clubs including Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus and Tottenham, with a rumoured £60million release clause being reported in Italy.

Vlahovic scored 21 goals in 37 appearances with Fiorentina last season, and the 21-year-old has emerged as real money casino sites one of Europe’s brightest talents tipped with greatest heights..

The Serbian’s prolific record has already caught the eye of former Serie A legend Vieri, who’s commendation will only further peak interest in the young sensation.

In a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Vieri said:

“For his age, he is the best striker in Europe after Erling Haaland.”

He then added:

“He is a top striker and will score 20 goals easily next season.”

Vlahovic is currently in talks with Fiorentina to extend his contract beyond 2023 – which is when his current deal expires – and according to reports in Italy, this new deal could include a £60million release clause.

With the future of Alexandre Lacazette uncertain and club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not getting any younger, Arsenal could land the 21-year-old for £60million and beat fierce rivals Tottenham to the Serbian’s signature. These two sides meet on Sunday lunchtime for a friendly match at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Tottenham have been heavily linked with Vlahovic all summer due to the potentially imminent departure of star striker Harry Kane. And with the Englishman looking to force a move, the current Fiorentina forward could be a shrewd addition.

Arsenal have already spent big this window, signing Ben White, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga for a combined £75million, so would have to sell some of their assets in order to fund the move, but it may be worth it due to the 21-year-old’s frightening potential.

If Tottenham were to sell Kane, they would have some £160million to inject into new signings and bolster their squad, so a move for Arsenal would not only strengthen their position, but potentially hurt a direct rival.

Arsenal haven’t bought too many players from the Serie A in their recent history, with Lucas Torreira being the most notable signing from Italy during the last decade.

However, the last time the Gunners signed a forward from the Italian first division was in 1999, as Thierry Henry joined from Juventus and went on to become the club’s leading goalscorer, netting 228 times during two stints in North London.

Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus are also keeping tabs on Vlahovic, as the sides will be looking to find long-term replacements for Luis Suarez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively, with all three strikers in the latter stages of their career.

Since their comeback win over Chelsea on December 15, Wolves have now gone eight games without a top-flight victory, as Crystal Palace were 1-0 winners over them on Saturday evening.

It seems fitting they entertain an Arsenal side rejuvenated since they lost the reverse fixture on November 29, as Mikel Arteta’s job security has improved substantially in the weeks following Wolves’ most recent Premier League victory.

They’re unbeaten in seven league games and held title-challenging Manchester United to a goalless draw on Saturday. How will the Gunners fare as they look to continue improving their sketchy away form?

Wolves vs Arsenal Betting Tips

Eberechi Eze’s moment of individual brilliance in the second-half proved decisive for Crystal Palace, as they were made to work hard for all three points against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

Vicente Guaita made four saves, captain Luka Milivojevic led by example in central midfield (five tackles, two clearances, one block and interception) while Michy Batshuayi and Wilfried Zaha missed big chances too.

Pedro Neto was Wolves’ best player (five dribbles, three key passes) but Real Sociedad loanee Willian José’s start to life in England has been uneventful so far. How will he and his teammates fare against an Arsenal backline with five clean sheets in their last six top-flight games?

Rob Holding has been consistent and dependable, Bernd Leno producing important saves at critical moments and Cedric Soares filling in well at left-back for the injured Kieran Tierney (calf).

Wolves vs Arsenal Correct Score Prediction

This is a tricky fixture to predict, especially when the pair are experiencing contrasting form as they are right now. Historically, Arsenal dominates (W8, D3, L2) but have one win in their last five meetings (L2, D2) and Molineux is a difficult place to go for visiting teams. I’m predicting BTTS here.